A. Field
The present invention relates to a system for transporting items of luggage, in particular to a so-called wheeled case or trolley with releasable or exchangeable luggage elements.
B. Related Art
Wheeled cases, which are also referred to as board cases or trolleys, usually have a packing case with rollers arranged on the base side. A retractable telescopic handle for transporting purposes is usually provided on the top side.
Such trolleys are known. In contrast to conventional cases, they have the advantage that they can be transported by rolling and thus reduce the user's load. For the case where a trolley cannot be rolled, for example when it is being transported on steps or over relatively rough terrain, additional handles are usually provided on one or more case sides, with the result that the trolley can also be carried like a conventional case. In order that the telescopic handle does not form an obstruction in these situations, it is usually of retractable design and can be retracted to the extent where it no longer projects beyond the outer periphery of the case. Also often provided on the packing cases are one or more front pockets which can be closed, for example, by zip fasteners or are designed as open pockets. It is possible for the packing case itself to comprise a single item of luggage or to be constructed in a modular manner from a plurality of case elements. The packing case often consists of a (synthetic) material which is compliant within certain limits. Trolleys made of a rigid, shell-like case material, however, are also known. On account of its easy handling, the trolley has been used widely in recent years by business travelers in particular.
The items of luggage or case elements of a wheeled case or trolley constitute relatively uncritical components from a production point of view. Depending on the target customer group, they may consist of relatively inexpensive plastic materials, but also of high-grade plastics, woven fabrics or even of leather. The subassembly of a wheeled case which involves the highest outlay in technical terms and also has the most decisive influence on the use properties, however, is the rolling mechanism, which essentially comprises a wheel arrangement and a pulling device, which is connected to the wheel arrangement and comprises the abovementioned telescopic handle. The wheel arrangement and the case element are usually assembled by the manufacturer of the wheeled case to form a unit which cannot be released by the user. In the meantime, however, wheeled cases are available for an extremely wide range of different purposes. For example, there are wheeled cases of which the case elements are optimized specifically for use as suitcases. Other wheeled cases are intended more to meet the requirements of businesspeople and can accommodate computer systems or printers, with the result that the wheeled case can be used as a mobile office. Other wheeled cases again are configured specifically for leisure or sports use.
If one wishes to use the different types of wheeled cases, then one is forced to buy a number of wheeled cases. Since each wheeled case has a complex and expensive rolling mechanism, the acquisition of a number of wheeled cases involves high costs. The present invention is thus based on the idea of providing a system for transporting items of luggage, in particular a wheeled case, which can be used in a versatile manner and in the case of which different items of luggage can be combined with one and the same rolling mechanism.
Such a transporting system for items of luggage which comprises a rolling mechanism and at least one item of luggage, the rolling mechanism having a wheel arrangement, a pulling device and fastening means for releasably connecting the item of luggage to the rolling mechanism, is described, for example, in German Utility Model DE 297 13 078 U1. In the case of the known transporting system, the item of luggage may be connected in a releasable manner to the rolling mechanism by means of a latching mechanism. The latching mechanism, however, is relatively complicated in mechanical terms and, accordingly, expensive to produce. Moreover, the known transporting system for items of luggage has the disadvantage that unauthorized individuals can actuate the latching mechanism arranged on the telescopic handle and steal the case element. It is also the case that, when the wheeled case of DE 297 13 078 U1 is transported on automatic conveyors, undesirable release of the latching mechanism may take place.
DE 198 55 728 discloses a rolling mechanism for transporting cases or travel bags. For fastening on the rolling mechanism, the case has threaded bores. Since the associated fastening screws are accessible from the outside, reliable theft prevention is not ensured since the case can easily be separated from the rolling mechanism.
Furthermore, German Patent DE 43 00 327 C2 describes a transporting system for a briefcase, which comprises a rolling mechanism and a briefcase which can be fastened in a releasable manner on the rolling mechanism by means of a clamping bracket. In the example described in this document, the fastening mechanism for the briefcase, although of relatively straightforward construction, does not comprise any reliable securing means for the item of luggage.
Moreover, the solutions described in the abovementioned German Patents are unsatisfactory from the point of view of esthetics, since it is merely the case that an essentially cuboidal case element is combined with a transporting system which, in terms of shaping, does not match this case element.
Finally, U.S. Pat. No. 4,647,056 discloses a portable rolling mechanism for items of luggage in the case of which the item of luggage which is to be transported is strapped on a platform provided with wheels.